Joe Wityak, of Beacon Falls, waits for his two corgis to catch up as they take a walk Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 at Osbornedale State Park in Derby, Conn.

Joe Wityak, of Beacon Falls, waits for his two corgis to catch up as they take a walk Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 at Osbornedale State Park in Derby, Conn.

Photo: Autumn Driscoll

Snow, wind herald winter

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The holiday is over, at least as far as the weather is concerned.

A strong wind warning and a coastal flood warning for southern Fairfield County have been issued by the National Weather Service, and take effect at 4 p.m. today.

The warnings, which remain in place until 6 a.m. Thursday call for sustained winds as high as 25 miles per hour, with gusts of 40 mph or higher. Rain, sleet and snow will creep into the area this afternoon, in time to make the evening commute a winter sport of its own.

Precipitation will be heavy at times, but the changeover from snow to rain will happen fairly quickly along the shore, and throughout the area after midnight. Little or no accumulation is expected. An inch or more of snow and sleet is likely inland, according to the National Weather Service.

Thursday will begin rainy and chilly with strong winds and high temperatures reaching the mid-40s.

Thursday night will be mostly cloudy with lows in the mid 20s. Friday and Saturday will be sunny with daytime highs in the mid- to upper-30s. Friday is expected to be sunny, with a high temperature of 39 during the day and a low in the mid 20s at night, says WTNH-TV forecaster Ericka Martin. Snow is possible on Saturday night into Sunday, she said. There is a 50 percent chance of snow on Sunday.

Today's snow may come down hard for several hours inland, meterologist Quincy Vagell said, but warmer air along the immediate shore will cause a changeover to rain without much accumulation.

Strong winds, with gusts up to 60 miles an hour, may contribute to coastal flooding, according to National Weather Service data.

Spotty freezing rain or sleet is possible when the changeover occurs at the shore, according to the NWS data.